Climb on the ROWDY RATHORE Musical Ride

Taking the risk of sounding snobbish or of disappointing some readers, I have to own up to the fact that Sajid-Wajid have seldom been my favorite soundtrack composers. I acknowledge that they are talented and I do believe they have their moments of brilliance but I have sadly never been 100% captivated by a full album of theirs and have always thought that creating a high quality masala soundtrack is a titanic task. The Rowdy Rathore soundtrack however has the merit of having definitely caught my attention and I therefore could not ignore the opportunity of writing something positive about the composers. What follows is a brief account of each track and our recommendations.

'Dhadang Dhang' sets the tone with a powerful and fun groove sung by Wajid and Shreya Goshal. Both the melody, rendition and singing styles transport us to the 1990s and its masala sound. We think the song will be doing the rounds of radio stations and have people humming "dhadang dhang" day in day out.

 'Chinta Ta Ta Chita Chita' is another more modern sounding masala track with the characteristic Mika Singh style sticking the repetitive tune in our memory, occasional bansari and all.

"Rowdy" is the proper adjective for 'Aa Re Pritam Pyaare' and the combination of Mamta Sharma's voice with a fast paced background filled with percussions and creative arrangements where there are just the right amount of instrument and rhythm layers to give the listener the impression of rich sound without overwhelming.

The 1990s are clearly paid homage to in 'Chamak Challo Chel Chabeli' which could have been taking right out of one of that decade's film hits. It is an absolute delight to listen to Shreya Ghoshal paired with  Kumar Sanu. How this blogger wishes to listen to him more often in new soundtracks! 

The homage continues in full fledged fashion through 'Tera Ishq Bada Teekha' with a lovey performance in 90s style by Javed Ali and Shreya Ghoshal.

Yes, I am a Shreya Ghoshal admirer but I have to say I am still to find a performance by her where I find true flaws. 'Chandaniya (Lori Lori)' has a quiet charm that could only be enhanced by Shreya's voice.

Akshay Kumar provides thunderous dialogues for the final 'Rowdy Mix', which brings us back to 2012. The Mix provides the nightclub sound that will promote the film throughout India's young hangouts and should possibly be given a "music video" picturization. 

All in all, the Rowdy Rathore soundtrack pledges full allegiance to the 1990s sound in Bollywood and should be enjoyed by all those who enjoy that masala 90s vibe!

Purchase the Rowdy Rathore soundtrack

ROWDY RATHORE

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha
Director: Prabhudeva
Music Director: Sajid-Wajid
Lyricist: Faiz Anwar, Sameer Anjaan, Shiraz Ahmed, Sajid 

Singers: Mika Singh, Wajid, Shreya Goshal, Javed Ali, Kumar Sanu, Mamta Sharma

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BOLLYWOOD ROMANCES CANNES

"We are open to all genres, all budgets and all types of cinema, except for Bollywood, which we are not interested in at all" declared Frédéric Boyer, the artistic director of the Cannes festival's parallel section, the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs (Director's Fortnight). This was considered a heretic statement coming from the lips of a cinema enthusiast and intellectual and will be countered by the Cannes Festival's willingness to duly honour Bollywood in its 2011 edition.

Thierry Fremaux, director of the Cannes Film Festival 2011 is passionate about India's 7th art and has invited two of its representatives to dazzle audiences at the festival with a documentary on the history and beauty of Bollywood. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra (Rang de Basanti, Delhi 6) and Shekhar Kapur (Mr. India, Elizabeth, Bandit Queen, Masoom, New York I love You), who was recently a part of the festival's jury, are the two known artists who have lent their creative view in conjunction with UTV and American filmaker Jeff Zimbalist to the project titled Bollywood - The Greatest Love Story Ever Told.

Cannes organizers have described the film as a “swirling and poignant montage in which Shekhar Kapoor, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Jeff Zimbalist pay tribute to this cinema genre that has contributed to establishing India’s identity in the eyes of the world and to making Mumbai one of the world capitals of film history.”

The documentary will be screened within the official "festival off" or "out of competition" section of the Cannes Film Festival. Generally speaking, despite an increase in recent years of the Indian presence at the prestigious festival, the number of Indian films featured in  the Cannes official and competition sections has always been rare. Shekhar Kapur's uncle, Chetan Anand, had directed one of these rare internationally acclaimed diamonds, Neecha Nagar, winning the coveted festival prize in 1946. Here is hoping that this new documentary will entertain and touch international sensitivity, opening new doors for Indian cinema across the world.

Read Shekhar Kapur's personal note on Bollywood - The Greatest Love Story Ever Told

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